Philips says industry at ‘tipping point’ on energy-saving bulbs

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — European light bulb makers are close to an agreement in principle to work together on phasing out energy-wasting incandescent bulbs for the consumer market, the chief executive of Royal Philips Electronics NV’s lighting division said Monday.

Philips is the largest lighting maker globally, followed by Siemens AG, known for the Osram-Sylvania brands. General Electric Co., whose founder Thomas Edison patented the incandescent bulb in 1880, is biggest in the United States.

In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Theo van Deursen said “the tipping point is very close, to be frank, for the (European) lighting industry” to agree on a phase-out of incandescent bulbs in the home.

He said an announcement from a group of major producers could come as early as this week.

Energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs, were introduced decades ago, but their adoption has gathered momentum recently amid worries about human impact on global warming and rising energy costs.

Earlier this month, Australia’s government announced plans to ban incandescent bulbs within three years, while a California lawmaker has introduced a bill seeking to do the same in the state by 2012. Last year, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, began actively promoting the bulbs.